André Derain
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André Derain
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André Derain
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After the First World War Derain was celebrated and promoted by Parisian dealers and writers, and became a figure of admiration for a new generation of painters and intellectuals, including the young André Breton (who later became the figurehead of Surrealism). Derain's ability to synthesise traditional subjects and genres with his own milieu was a characteristic of his unique style and contributed to the popularity of his works. In the large-scale work Harlequin and Pierrot, silent musicians play stringless instruments amid a barren landscape. Their austere gaze adds to an atmosphere of melancholy and stillness. These characters are from the Italian tradition of commedia dell'arte, a kind of travelling pantomime theatre which emerged from Italy during the fifteenth century. Picasso had also drawn on this tradition for his stage designs for Diaghilev's ballet, Parade, in 1917.
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© copyright 2001, The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Australia
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